Hazelnut Butter Cookies

These hazelnut butter cookies are my daughter’s favourite, and she loves baking them with me. Making use of the long weekend, we headed back into the kitchen and made a batch of simple, buttery cookies with chopped hazelnuts on top.

They are pale, tender, and lightly crumbly, with that lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture you want from a homemade butter cookie. The chopped hazelnuts give them a little crunch and a warm, nutty flavour, making them perfect with tea or coffee.

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

• 125 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

• 85 g powdered sugar

• 1 packet vanilin or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 egg yolk

• 180 g all-purpose flour

• 30 g cornstarch

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• A small pinch of salt

For coating

• 80 g chopped hazelnuts

Follow along on Instagram

Instructions

Prepare the dough

Add the softened butter and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment of your hand mixer, mix on low to medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Add the egg yolk and vanilin, then mix briefly again with the whisk attachment. At this stage, you only need the ingredients to come together.

Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Stop using the mixer and bring the dough together gently with a spatula or your hands. Try not to overmix once the flour has been added, as this can make the cookies firmer.

Cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. This makes the dough easier to shape.

Shape the cookies

Place the chopped hazelnuts in a small bowl.

Take small pieces of dough and roll them into walnut-sized balls. Dip the top of each cookie ball into the chopped hazelnuts, pressing gently so the hazelnuts stick.

Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between each one.

Bake the cookies

Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C top and bottom heat for 14 to 16 minutes, until the cookies are set and the bottoms are lightly golden.

The tops should stay quite pale. Do not wait for them to brown too much, as they will firm up while cooling.

Cool and serve

Let the cookies cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Serve with tea or coffee.

Tips

• Use softened butter, not melted butter. The butter should be soft enough to mix easily but still hold its shape.

• After adding the flour, switch to a spatula or your hands. This helps keep the cookies tender and crumbly.

• Chilling the dough makes it much easier to roll and helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven.

• For a deeper hazelnut flavour, you can lightly toast the chopped hazelnuts before using them, then let them cool completely before coating the cookies.

Storage

Store these hazelnut butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Let them cool completely before storing so they keep their crumbly texture.